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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758048">Of Black And White</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NessaSan/pseuds/NessaSan'>NessaSan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:35:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,973</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758048</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NessaSan/pseuds/NessaSan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sal's already unpleasant new job gets even rougher when she has to discover what's going on the basement floor.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Detached</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had this little idea for a fic and actually started writing. Hope you enjoy! Feel free to tell me if you find any grammar errors, I am not a native speaker :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 01</b>
</p><p>
  <strong>›Detached‹</strong>
</p><p>She walked through the hallways just like every other morning. And also just like every other morning, she felt queasy about where she was heading to. Her workplace. This wasn't because she didn't like her work. She did. About six weeks ago, Sal had moved to San Francisco to work in this government facility. The thirty year old woman was a foreigner and a little surprised she had been accepted after all. She didn't even exactly know what they were doing here, but it had to with national defense and involved the research and testing of new military technologies. A lot of people of a lot of different professions worked in several buildings, scattered all over the large compound. It was actually very confusing and Sal only knew a few corners of the base. Her desk was located at a ground-leveled office in the far west of building F. There she was processing data and results, converting them into reports, publications and informational material. All of that was fine and the payment wasn't too bad either. There was really only one con to this whole thing. Her numskull coworkers. They weren't just stupid and annoying, but actually picked on her. Maybe it was simply the fact, that she was the only woman in their section, younger, or just the best target. Sal usually gave a tough response to their games, but it wore on her either way. It was less exhausting when they were more busy, so that's what she was hoping for when she made her way along the dark gray aisle number seven that cloudy morning. In her head she played through the assignments she knew she had open for today. Wondering which one she should attend first, eyes on her own shoes, she attempted to step into the bureau, when she was forced to stop in her track. A wide figure was blocking the door frame. Looking up, Sal recognized the familiar person. The rectangular-shaped, middle-aged man, going by the name of 'Wesley', was the head of this division. Even though her job had nothing to do with the rest of the office's tasks and they basically just shared the same room, he was considered her foreman. This sucked extra, because he could be a real jerk.</p><p>»... look who's there.«</p><p>He only moved his grayish eyes to look down on Sal, lifting the right corner of his mouth to build up an ugly grin. Not moving at all, just playing an obstacle, he seemingly seized the moment. In the clasp of his fat, weirdly short fingers, he was holding a worn cardboard box. Sal raised an eyebrow as she recognized one of her possessions sticking out of it. A tall, green cactus that belonged on her desk.</p><p>»... what the...?«</p><p>Grinning even wider, Wesley shoved the carton into her arms.</p><p>»I'm afraid you will not be working here for a while.«</p><p>From the room behind him, Sal could her a few of the other coworkers giggle and snort. What on earth was this about now?</p><p>»What... am I... fired?«</p><p>»Fired?! Noooo...!«</p><p>The guy chuckled and put his arm around Sal's shoulder, escorting her back into the hallway. How she hated it, being touched by him.</p><p>»What's going on?? I have to work!«</p><p>It wasn't even eight a.m. yet and she was already annoyed. If this was some kind of stupid joke they played on her.</p><p>»Oh you will, don't worry.«</p><p>Obviously amused, he bowed down a bit to talk to her as if it was serious business.</p><p>»You remember Agent Stone?«</p><p>Sal though back for a second. She recalled an average sized, black haired young man with a neat full beard. Polite with a soft voice. She only remembered, because he had introduced himself to her on her first day. He had sat at a desk across the room, by the window front. Since that day however, she hadn't seen him at all. Her mind was ticking. Has he been fired too?</p><p>»... yeah?«</p><p>»You see... Agent Stone is currently working for another division. He is only technically a part of our team, since he was appointed to this... <em>special</em> application.«</p><p>»... eh... okay.«</p><p>So what did this have to do with her?</p><p>»The thing about him is... he's the type of guy that works his ass off 24/7 and doesn't even give a shit. Never complains. He likes it.«</p><p>Wesley laughed in a dry, hollow way and Sal thought that she heard him snuffle 'idiot' under his breath.</p><p>»Turns out, he didn't take a single day off since June.«</p><p>Five months. The guy really must enjoy it.</p><p>»He might not care, but the authorities do. Employment protection.«</p><p>She understood where he was coming from but still didn't get her role in this thing.</p><p>»Matter of fact, Mister Stone now can book a little trip to Hawaii or whatever, cause he has to take all his accumulated leave at once.«</p><p>At that he made a face as if he was calculating.</p><p>»About five weeks.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Sal was waiting for the conclusion.</p><p>»Now... as I mentioned earlier... he is <em>technically</em> my subordinate. Which means, that I have to provide a stand-in for him. That wouldn't have been necessary for a day here and there... but five weeks?«</p><p>»...eh... wait a second...«</p><p>Sal wasn't able to finish her sentence, as Wesley simply ignored it.</p><p>»Unfortunately, all the guys are <em>really</em> busy with truly important projects, so...«</p><p>Mischievously smirking again, he then patted her shoulder.</p><p>»You have the honor.«</p><p>For a second she was like frozen, trying to actually put together what he just said.</p><p>»What?!«</p><p>»L708. On Level U3.«</p><p>Wesley had already turned his back on her to leave.</p><p>»I am not an agent! How am I even supposed to replace one?!«</p><p>It was ridiculous. This had to be a joke. But he only shrug a shoulder.</p><p>»I don't know, not my problem. I can detach who I want.«</p><p>One last time he turned back around, to look Sal directly in the eyes.</p><p>»And I detach you.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>»Better do your best, I guess. If you don't want to get fired after all.«</p><p>That said, he swung around and entered his office again, greeted by malicious laughter. Sal could hear the guys inside.</p><p>»Oh my god, I can't believe you're actually pulling this off! Haha!«</p><p>»I almost pity her!«</p><p>»I think I would have quit if you sent me down there! To that nutjob.«</p><p>»Me too! No way, hahaha!«</p><p>She had no idea what the reactions meant, but Sal had a bad feeling about it. Anyways, she had no real choice but to follow the order. With a tight grip on the box, filled with her belongings, she made her way to the nearest elevator. Nervous and also kind of pissed, she pressed the 'U3' button and watched the doors close behind her. It took a moment until the lift had reached the deepest basement level and Sal could step out into a dark corridor. The dimly lit hallway had two signs with arrows attached to the wall, right were she was facing. The first one was pointing left, saying 'L601-L612' and the one below to the right, reading 'L701-L709'. Sal nodded and headed right. The 'L's stood for 'Laboratory', which got obvious, as soon as she came across several large glass-walls, that gave away the insides of L701. The room was dark, but she could see some monitors and machinery. Then she spotted another sign, right on the glass, next to the door.</p><p>
  <b>L701-L704</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Biological Research</b>
</p><p>∙ Doctor Cardwell</p><p>∙ Doctor Ramirez</p><p>∙ Doctor Noll</p><p>Wondering what was actually done in here, she moved on, slowly, until she reached the next sign.</p><p>
  <b>L705-L706</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Applied Research</b>
</p><p>∙ Doctor Little</p><p>∙ Doctor McCoy</p><p>When did they start to work? Not too early, it seemed. The lab was also empty. Only little red power-indicators shone in the dark. A few windows ahead, Sal read on.</p><p>
  <b>L707</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Geophysical Research</b>
</p><p>∙ Doctor Sanders</p><p>∙ Doctor Rivera</p><p>∙ Doctor Higgins</p><p>After what felt like forever, Sal had made it to the and of the aisle, where it made a 45° turn to the left. Actual light was coming from around that corner. On the right side, she spotted the last sign.</p><p>
  <b>L708-L709</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Technical Research &amp; Development</b>
</p><p>∙ Doctor Robotnik</p><p>This was her destination. L708. There was only one person working in this section? It seemed a little unlikely, but it was what the sign said. Approaching the sliding door, she asked herself, what Agent Stone was even doing down here. As far as she could tell by the plates, there were only scientist working in this part of the complex. Still in her thoughts, Sal pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold. As soon as she did so, a short little blip could be heard. Sal had to blink, as a red glare blinded her for a split second. She almost missed how the thin bar of light wandered over her body, all the way from her head to her feet. Then an alarming sound went off. Sal winced in shock. In the corner of her eye she sensed something and as she turned her head, she saw an egg-shaped white machine, hovering in the air and slowly approaching her.</p><p>»...eh ...?«</p><p>Before she could even form a thought, something quickly opened on both sides of the drone and revealed what looked like barrels of a gun.</p><p>»Hoh...!!«</p><p>Sal backed away from the thing and tumbled backwards in shock, but it followed her steadily. A red light right in it's middle made her feel like it was locking onto her, ready to kill. Sal didn't dare to look away from this floating atrocity as she desperately tried to get away from it. Under the monotonous siren she could hear it's 'eye' making sounds like the auto focus of a camera lens. After already moving a few meters into the opposite direction blindly, her back suddenly bumped into something. It didn't feel hard as a wall and Sal swung around, only to flinch once more. A man was standing right behind her, not moving at all. He was considerably taller then her, all dressed in black, with dark brown, neatly side-parted hair. Most eye-catching though, was his upwards pointing mustache. Half lit by the red light of the alarm-mode, he looked more than frightening, glaring down at Sal's half-crouching figure. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, when he raised his left hand to make some kind of motion with his fingers. In an instant, the noise stopped, lights went back to normal and the drone retreated. His stare remained unchanged though. Still unable to communicate, Sal just raised her eyebrows, holding onto her carton firmly and overstrained. After waiting a few more awkward seconds, the guy tilted his head a notch, slightly frowning.</p><p>»Mind to share the incitement for your unauthorized trespassing of this highly restricted area on government property?«</p><p>She had to think about his question more than once, clearing her throat before even starting to building an answer in her head.</p><p>»E-ehm... I am...«</p><p>The man's whole appearance made Sal more than nervous. Swallowing another lump, she straightened herself a bit before trying again.</p><p>»Wesley Byrd sent me.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>»I am... the stand-in for Agent Stone.«</p><p>At that, the guy lifted an eyebrow before scanning her just like the red light earlier.</p><p>»M-My name is.... Sal... I... uhm....«</p><p>His examining eyes distracted her.</p><p>»... I work as... a graphical visualizer.... actually.«</p><p>»Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?«</p><p>He had almost cut her off, now looking even more bugged.</p><p>».... yes and no.... I guess.«</p><p>After wheezing hearably and rolling his eyes, he made an indifferent gesture with his hand and passed her by.</p><p>»Byrd's farcical excuse for a division is filled to the top with screwballs.«</p><p>That much was true. Excluding her. The doctor went over to a sheet-sized display and starting typing something in.</p><p>»What could I expect. Could as well have gotten.... Murdoch... or... Pence. Urgh.«</p><p>He indeed knew who the worst of them were.</p><p>»You... are... Doctor... Robotnik...?«</p><p>»You can read. One plus point for you.«</p><p>How charming he was.</p><p>»Look... I have no idea what Agent Stone's job here even is, so...«</p><p>»Agent Stone's job...«</p><p>He said loudly and swung around in a dynamic motion, making a large step towards the confused young woman.</p><p>»... is to do, what I say.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Sal looked speechless into his widely opened eyes.</p><p>»Simple, isn't it?«</p><p>Unsure, if it was really that 'simple', she only shrugged a bit. After noticing the overly filled box, she was carrying, Doctor Robotnik briefly pointed to some kind of desk at the longer side of the laboratory.</p><p>»Just throw Stone's crap away or something.«</p><p>That said, he went back to where he had come from before the alarm had gone off. Somewhere around the corner. Sal watched him rush off and then hesitantly made her way to Agent Stone's place. She put her carton on the desk, relieved to get rid of the weight. There wasn't that much to throw away at all. A few sticky notes, pencils, a little notebook and some peppermint tea bags. Sal wouldn't touch any of this. Instead she shoved it all aside a little bit and started to unpack her own things. Her cactus, her laptop, writing utensils and a water bottle. She put the box under the desk and took a seat as if to test. Adjusting the height, her eyes fell onto Stone's notebook again. It looked a little worn out, as if it had been carried around a lot. Maybe there were some hints in there, to what his job actually involved? It wasn't like her to read in someone else' private records, but she was in a special situation. As soon as she opened it up, her jaw dropped. The pages were as full as they could possibly be. Process descriptions, reports, transcriptions, numbers and a <em>lot </em>of side notes. Those were the most interesting, since they seemed to be little reminders to Stone, of what to do or not not to do, regarding Doctor Robotnik. Especially the first pages of the book were packed with those. Sal opened a random one and read.</p><p>›Do not show up early on Wednesdays.‹</p><p>What did that mean?</p><p>›Only ONE sugar cube in the coffee.‹</p><p>Okay.</p><p>›NEVER interrupt the Doctor.‹</p><p>Sounded like he had learned that the hard way. She turned the page.</p><p>›Never let down your guard.‹</p><p>›Optical Illusions Tel.: 555 839 975 78‹</p><p>›Sir Nimrod = Dr. Sanders‹</p><p>She couldn't help but to smirk. The notes didn't help much, but they painted an amusing picture of Agent Stone, who didn't seem to have an easy life here. Sal was excited to read more, but she didn't get the chance.</p><p>»Are you laying an egg there?!!«</p><p>She jumped up from her seat in shock, when the Doctor's angry voice echoed through the lab. Quickly putting the notebook to the rest of Stone's belongings, she rushed around the corner, finally seeing this part of the room. She found Robotnik standing at a large industrial shelf, throwing some oversized circuit boards from one crate into another. He had witnessed her arrival, without even turning around.</p><p>»What was your name again...?«</p><p>»It's...«</p><p>»Aaahhh why do I ask. I don't care.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Sal started to realize, what the guys upstairs meant when they spoke of the ›nutjob‹. And why they didn't want to work here.</p><p>»Here. Make yourself useful and put these in the storage!«</p><p>At that he gave the crate on the ground a kick, that sent it sliding towards her. Eyeing the large box for a moment, Sal blinked.</p><p>»Where is that storage?«</p><p>Still showing her his back, he just gave her an impatient gesture with the hand, implying it to be somewhere to her right side. She decided do simply get this over with and bowed down to pick up the box. However, it turned out to be far too heavy for her to lift.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Now she frowned a little. This was intentional, wasn't it? Teeth grinding, she stuck both hands into one of the box' grip holes and started to pull. Fueled by the anger, that has risen in her since this day begun, she managed to drag the thing around the corner and into another, more narrow room. <em>Jerk</em>. She thought. <em>Just like all the others.</em> Two minutes later and heavily breathing, she had actually reached what seemed like the entrance to the storage. It was blocked by some kind of high tech door, that didn't even have a knob or handle. Just when she started scratching her head in wonder, a red little display on the left lit up.</p><p>»...uh?«</p><p>The word ›IDENTIFY‹ appeared on the screen, and when Sal moved closer, filled with curiosity, it quickly beeped three times. Flinching, expecting another alarm to go off, she froze in place.</p><p>»...«</p><p>It didn't happen. Instead, the text in the display changed into</p><p>›SUBJECT SUCCESSFULLY IDENTIFIED: #HS004, SAL‹</p><p>Then it beeped once more and the screen read</p><p>›ACCESS GRANTED‹</p><p>The door slid open smoothly and left Sal agape. A part of her thought, that that was actually pretty cool. Another just realized that he in fact did very well know her name. He had heard it, understood it and even programmed it in already. At that she turned her head to the direction, she had come from, making a pouting face. Exhaling, trying not to concentrate on possible curse words she could find for him, she went on with her mission, finally getting the crate to it's destination. Somewhat relieved she brushed herself off, after pushing it into an empty spot between some lockers. When she finally returned to the room, Doctor Robotnik was gone. It didn't take her long to find him though. He was back at the main lab, sitting in front of a huge holographic screen, rubbing his chin with one finger. As Sal slowly walked closer, she noticed something standing by the wall and stopped. A pallet truck.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Her left lower eyelid twitched as she smiled ironically.</p><p>»Basic people learn best through failure.«</p><p>The Doctor had finally turned around, probably just to rub that in her face.</p><p>»... I guess.« she mumbled, boiling a little inside.</p><p>When she squinted his direction, watching his mustache tilt, as he formed an entertained smirk, she made a decision. She would not let him win. There was no way on earth, that she would cave in and let him see her crumble. That's clearly what he was aiming for and she was not gonna give him that. At least down here, there was only one bully.</p><p>»Thanks for the lesson. What should I do next?« She said indifferently.</p><p>The grin on the doctor's face slowly faded while he stared at her for a moment, thinking.</p><p>Then, suddenly, he swung back around, attending his computer again. A few seconds passed.</p><p>»I want my latte.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Sal raised an eyebrow.</p><p>»... your... latte?«</p><p>Robotnik hissed overly theatrical and tilted his a head a notch.</p><p>»Caffe latte, or simply latte, is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. The word comes from-«</p><p>»I know what a latte is...!« She cut him off.</p><p>He had talked so fast and monotonous, it had sounded like a robot. And it had made her dizzy. Had he just quoted Wikipedia or something?</p><p>»I just... whatever. Where can I get you one...?«</p><p>»I think Stone makes them at the coffee machine in the kitchen on the first floor.«</p><p>Stone? Agent Stone makes him... lattes? The doctor was already typing again, while he spoke on.</p><p>»That would be... room G210.«</p><p>»... okay.«</p><p>»... his latte making skills are really one of a kind...« he mumbled into his beard.</p><p>Did he just compliment someone?</p><p>»... I gotta give him that...« he added.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Sal rolled her eyes and took off to her adventure, finding the source of those mysterious lattes.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Of course, she was aware that this statement about Agent Stone's skills was fully intentional, meant to put her under pressure. And Sal was sure, Stone had his very special way of making his boss's coffee. Maybe it was written down somewhere in this notebook. Somewhere, as a smudged little side-note. She didn't have time to look and even if so, she refused to copy him. When the young woman entered the little kitchen, she found what she had hoped for. Between the toaster and some empty pizza boxes, stood a large, professional coffee machine, clean and shiny. It almost looked out of place. Sal smiled a bit as she stepped closer, orientating herself. What the doctor didn't know was that she had been working at a cafe some time ago.</p><p>»... I can still do this...«</p><p>She whispered to herself, while opening the cabinets. In one of them she actually found a stack of paper cups that had a yellow sticky note to them, saying ›Stone‹. Sal shook her head.</p><p>»No, no, no.«</p><p>Opening another door, she finally found a large glass.</p><p>»That will do.«</p><p>She put it on the counter and cracked her fingers. Remembering the procedure, she started by removing one of the little handles from the machine, filling it with coffee powder and pressing it down.</p><p>»Okay...«</p><p>She knew that there was no way she would surpass Agent Stone's creation, whatever that meant. But she swore she wouldn't give him a reason to call her ›basic‹ again or attest her a ›failure‹. Reattaching the spoon-like piece into the machine and putting a little glass underneath it, she then reached for the large bar on top and pulled it down. As the espresso started running, she opened the fridge to get some milk. Behind the package she took, she spotted another one. There was the picture of a happy looking, white goat printed onto it. It stood on a mountain top, proudly stretching it's head to the sun.</p><p>»... the hell is that...?«</p><p>Head shaking, she closed the door, quickly forgetting about the oddity. Again, she thought about Agent Stone, imagining him being bossed around by Doctor Robotnik. She began to froth the milk in a little can, watching it form a swirl. <em>And he didn't take a day off</em>. That thought just made her shake her head. She already felt like needing a break from him. Finally, all components were ready. Sal tipped her lips with the index finger, thinking about what she could add to personalize her creation. Then the side-note from earlier came to her mind.</p><p>»...one cube of sugar.«</p><p>Now, technically, this wasn't a coffee, but whatever. She took a pinch of sugar and sprinkled it into the espresso, as well as just a little bit of cinnamon she had discovered. Then she poured two thirds of the milk into the big glass.</p><p>»Cafe Latte is for losers.« she mumbled.</p><p>Waiting a few seconds, then adding the rest, she had created a nice fluffy top. At last, she poured in the coffee.</p><p>»Latte macchiato, baby.«</p><p>Sal watched a nice, even gradient form, satisfied with her work. She knew that the doctor might say ›task missed‹ or something. But she wasn't Stone, and refused to turn into him. She put a napkin around the hot glass and took it with her. On her way back she crossed ways with two of her actual colleagues. Pence and Stevens. Trying to pass them by as quick as possible, she lowered her head as if she didn't see them. She could hear them whisper though, and as they were one step behind her, they burst into laughter, like some ten year olds. Sal tried to brush it off as she got into the elevator, but her jaw cracked unpleasantly under the tension of the rage inside her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Noise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 02</b>
</p><p>
  <strong>›Noise‹</strong>
</p><p>As she walked along the aisle of the underground level again and came closer and closer to the lab, she actually got kind of nervous. A part of her questioned if it had been so smart, just doing her thing. But it was too late for that, she had to roll with it. When she finally entered, no alarm screamed and no drone came flying to execute her. At least. Doctor Robotnik still sat on his chair, his fingers sliding over some kind of in-built tablet on the table. Sal in- and exhaled once, before approaching him. She was certain that he had noticed her return and had actively decided to ignore it. Silently and careful, she placed the glass next to him.</p><p>»It's still hot, so...«</p><p>In an instant, he stopped his movements and turned his head to her. His expression was saying ›duh‹. Without changing that face, he held one hand up, wiggling his fingers, to show he had gloves on. Sal just now noticed they looked like some kind of weird controllers. A little bit fascinated, she tilted her head, but before she could get a second glance, he pulled his arm back and finally looked at the coffee. Eyeing it for a few seconds, he then lifted one brow and squinted back at her.</p><p>»... that's not how my latte usually looks.«</p><p>Since Sal had expected that kind of reaction, she quickly responded.</p><p>»No. This contains the same basic ingredients, but to make it like that requires more...«</p><p>before the last word she opened her eyes a bit wider, to underline it.</p><p>»... skills.«</p><p>Robotnik stared at her for a moment, and Sal thought that she saw the corner of his mouth twitch. As if he at least slightly credited her for the guts of this comeback. Even if he seemed surprised by it. She was looking him straight in the face, swearing herself not to back away. It was hard to maintain her posture though, considering her pounding heart and those piercing brown eyes. Luckily, he then decided to turn to his latte. Sal's mouth instantly became dry, as she watched him take a sip. <em>I could have poisoned him instead.</em> Maybe that would have been the better choice? He took his time, getting the taste, sipping again. Sal could have jumped out the window. If there was any.</p><p>»...hm...«</p><p>She waited with a frozen expression while squinting on the milk in his mustache.</p><p>»...I... uhm... know this isn't Stone's...«</p><p>»Acceptable.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>She opened her mouth a little, unable to say anything, but her heart jumped a bit. The doctor took the glass and turned back to his work. To her, that was a victory. More than she had expected of him. Simply nodding, with a tiny smile, she swung around, heading to her desk. As she got there, she found some sort of hard drive on it. Only in the aesthetic of this whole place. No doubt that had to be one of his own creations. As if he had seen her questioning face, he commented on it from afar.</p><p>»There are some files on that. Put their content into a presentable form. That's your actual job, after all, isn't it?«</p><p>Sal lighted up a bit.</p><p>»Y-Yes! Sure...!«</p><p>Actually motivated, she opened her laptop. It was a relief to get a task that was actually suited for her. For a second, she was wondering how to use this strange device of his, but the question answered itself. As soon as her desktop lit up, she saw several folders appear on it as if she was being hacked. Sal watched this in amazement, even though it also was kinda creepy. Considering what else you could do with that. On the other hand, that guy probably was capable of things, far more dangerous. After a few seconds, a little window popped up saying ›TRANSFER COMPLETE‹ and she started to look into the files.</p><p> </p><p>Sal was working on her pages highly concentrated. She had to. The tons of absolutely cryptic content in Robotnik's files were making her head smoke. It was scientific, technical and sounded like another language to her. Only some blueprints gave hints to what he was referring to. Even those however, didn't look like anything Sal had seen before. Most seemed to be machine parts in development. After about 2 hours, she stretched her arms out and yawned. In the corner of the room she had noticed a water dispenser. Realizing she hadn't drunk anything at all today, she took her bottle and went to fill it up. As she walked passed the Doctor's back, she peeked at the large screen in front of him and stopped. What she saw on it, looked familiar. It was like an x-ray of the drone that had threatened her.</p><p>»That is inside of it??«</p><p>Her mouth had said it out loud before her brain could consider it. Robotnik turned his head, noticing her genuinely intrigued expression. Sal was baffled about how that thing was actually armed. Were those... rockets?</p><p>»How would I have been killed, if you didn't show up?«</p><p>She couldn't take her eyes off the projection.</p><p>»The badniks are not allowed to fire inside the laboratory, unless there's an actual hazard. Which... you obviously aren't.«</p><p>»Huh.«</p><p>Sal didn't care about the little taunt this time. She didn't even notice that he was still staring at her.</p><p>»And yes...«</p><p>He then pressed some buttons on his glove and the drone came flying, making her turn to the right.</p><p>»... that is inside of it.«</p><p>In a flash, the egg-shaped machine opened up in six places, revealing a total of sixteen rockets as well as the two guns on the sides.</p><p>»Of course this is just the weaponry.«</p><p>He sounded fairly proud of himself, even enjoying Sal's obvious amazement. Something about that thing fascinated her. Was it the fact that she simply had never seen anything like that before? That is was right there, a meter away from her face? Or that lethal perfection that seemed to be radiating from it? It had an aesthetic to it.</p><p>»... hm...«</p><p>Sal felt like being hypnotized by this red-glowing eye. Like remote-controlled, she leaned forward and slowly reached out to the hovering device. Robotnik's eyes followed her hand, looking almost spellbound, as Sal tentatively touched his drone. A weird silence was hanging in the air for a few seconds. Until the doctor coughed. Quickly he then made another input and the weapons disappeared inside the machine again. Sal jumped a bit from the sudden event, pulling her hand back, as the drone took off. Almost embarrassed, she rushed on to the water dispenser, while Robotnik went back to typing, as if nothing had happened. When she sat back at her desk, she felt as if she had touched a wild animal for the first time. Her heart was racing in a weird way as she squinted over to the doctor's place.</p><p>»...«</p><p>As she did, she noticed another thing. His glass was empty. Guess it really was <em>acceptable</em>, hm? Grinning just a notch, she went back to her work.</p><p> </p><p>It was already dark outside, when Sal stepped out of the elevator and walked down the aisle on ground level once more. It had taken her the whole day to finish the doctor's report, but it was eventually done. She had even given the pages a discreet design that slightly reminded of his machinery's color scheme. It was printed and neatly put together. With a good feeling, she made her way through the building, ready to head home. When she passed the open door to her regular office, she peeked inside the empty room and jerked a halt. From her position she was able to see her desk.</p><p>»... really?!«</p><p>There was a massive amount of trash piled up on her table. Empty candy wrappers, juice packs, styrofoam containers and dirty cutlery. She clenched her fists for a second, but quickly decided to just wipe it off her memory for now. Let the kids play. Guess they weren't that busy after all, huh? Idiots.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The next morning, Sal was early as ever, strolling back into the still empty building. Somehow she had slept very well and felt ready to tackle whatever would come her way today. Before she headed for the elevator, she took a turn to make a stop at the kitchen. Five minutes later she came back out with one of her lattes ›acceptable style‹ in hand. Yeah, she wouldn't let anyone say she wasn't trying. It took her another three minutes until she finally approached laboratory 708 again. She slowed down her pace though, when she sensed something odd from around the corner. Was that music? As she moved on, she also saw red light beams flicker through the glass facades. It looked wild. The closer she came, the more she felt like attending a basement party. It wasn't until she had opened the door, that she could actually hear how loud it was. The strange light show made it hard to focus on anything in the room, but she definitely didn't see the doctor. Turning her head to the right, she found his chair empty. Somewhere from far though, she witnessed something between the funky beats. Sal slowly followed the dull, mechanical sound to the back of the lab until she stood in a short passage to a room she hadn't seen yet. The closer she got, the more she realized how large it was. Most notably however, it was high. Sal's jaw dropped as she saw, that the entire opposite wall was actually some kind of rack, that held dozens of drones. From the top, some kind of slide came down, stopping at one of the many rows and hooking on hearably. Then eight drones at once were moved out of their position and smoothly brought down to what looked like a control panel. Sal had no idea what was going on, but she watched in pure curiosity. What was going to happen next? Before she could find out, something flew into her vision from the left, ripping her from her hypnosis. The tails of Doctor Robotnik's black coat fluttered into view, as he had danced passed her in a dynamic motion. Completely in the zone, he almost glided through the room, turning and swinging left to right. Sal's mouth still was open, as she watched him hum to the melody while making entries on a few different tablets that were installed in the room. Holographic projections appeared out of nowhere, showing numerous bars, graphs and numbers. Robotnik danced along, his right hand swaying in time, apparently marking some information every now and then. Sal had watched the scene at least for a minute, when the doctor swung around, almost doing a pirouette and finally noticed her.</p><p>»HUAH!!«</p><p>»KYAAH!!«</p><p>He had screamed so suddenly, that she had flinched and answered the same way. Looking caught and appalled, he quickly used his glove to end the party.</p><p>»What the hell are you doing here already?!« He barked.</p><p>Sal's jaw finally closed again and she swallowed before forming an answer.</p><p>»Uhm... I always come in... this early.«</p><p>»Well, don't!!«</p><p>She felt even smaller than usual, with the doctor glaring down at her. Then it dawned on her.</p><p>›<em>Do not show up early on Wednesdays.‹</em></p><p>Whoops. Sal swore to herself to read in that notebook more. After a few very uncomfortable seconds, the doctor's angry eyes fell on the glass, she was holding. Then he looked back at her and his expression slightly softened. Raising one brow, he now mumbled almost bashfully.</p><p>»... is that for me?«</p><p>Irritated by this sudden contrast, Sal just nodded and passed the latte over. Robotnik took it, turned away from her and began sipping from it, while marching back to the holograms. Sorting her thoughts, Sal was thinking about going back to her desk to check her mails or something. But her curiosity held her back. Nervously fiddling with her fingers, she made a tiny step forward.</p><p>»Uh... Doctor...?«</p><p>Robotnik didn't bother to stop typing.</p><p>»... hm?«</p><p>»... what... is it... that you are doing there?«</p><p>Now he made a half-turn to look back at her. It seemed as if he hadn't expected her to care.</p><p>»Wednesday morning is maintenance time.«</p><p>He had noticed Sal's eyes wandering over the imposing rack system. Squinting her direction for a long moment, he then gave her a ›come here‹ gesture. The young woman blinked a little surprised, but then carefully stepped into the room. Getting closer to the projections, she began to understand that the shown data was directly referring to each drone that the slide had gotten down. While they all looked the same, the information onscreen revealed them to differ.</p><p>»Each of these machines is capable of accomplishing the work of several highly specialized human beings. They do the job faster, cleaner and far more efficiently.«</p><p>Sal's eyes followed his hand, that made a swiping motion all the way from the left to the right.</p><p>»All of that, without the tedious need for vacations, praise or gratitude.«</p><p>There was some kind of devotion in his voice right now, that she had not witnessed before.</p><p>»The only thing they need...«</p><p>She watched as he pointed to the third drone's statistics.</p><p>»... is a little check up, here and there.«</p><p>There was a slightly filled bar, that read ›Armor Damage - 21%‹.</p><p>And a little further down, a yellow attention-sign next to the line ›Sensor Unit B‹.</p><p>The doctor tipped on a symbol in the right bottom corner and the whole screen turned orange. As the rest seemed okay, he confirmed his input and the slide came again to lift the remaining seven drones back to their places. Sal looked up for a second, but then back down at the lonely drone number three.</p><p>»This one will get a new shell. Also needs a little fixing on the inside.«</p><p>That said, the patient was transported to the left by a conveyor, until it disappeared through a small tunnel. Visibly mesmerized once more, Sal just stood there like a child in a zoo.</p><p>»...«</p><p>»... wanna try?«</p><p>Sal's head turned to give the doctor a baffled look.</p><p>»...uh... m-me??«</p><p>His eyes moved left to right, pretending to look for something.</p><p>»Weird. I don't see anyone else here.«</p><p>Then his eyes locked onto her again, his head provokingly tilted. His expression said ›don't act like an idiot... idiot.‹. Before Sal could reply, he had pulled off his right glove and held it out to her. She stared at it in disbelief. Somehow this seemed to her like something, he wouldn't typically do. Not that she knew him very well, after one day. But his whole demeanor so far, his condescension and indifference, plus Stone's intimidated notes. They all painted a picture of him, that contrasted strongly with this very moment. Hesitant, she took the glove from him. As if she was awaiting some kind of trap, she kept her eyes on him, while slowly slipping her hand into the fabric. It felt surprisingly soft and comfy. With his remaining left one, Robotnik made the slide bring eight more machines in front of them. Like before, their reports popped up from left to right. Then he spread the fingers of his undressed, right hand, as if to say ›your move.‹. Sal looked down to inspect the slightly oversized, black glove for a second. Then she stepped forward, holding her hand in front of her, as if that limb didn't belong to her. Slowly walking passed the screens, she let her eyes fly over the tons of information. Nothing caught her attention, until she had reached the fifth badnik. There was another exclamation mark in a triangle, next to the line</p><p>›CPU Core Δ‹.</p><p>Sal turned her head to the doctor, who looked back without any expression. No hint. Was that supposed to be some kind of test? Was he waiting for a good reason to scold or make a fool out of her? She realized, that she had gotten so used to that kind of thing, that she was expecting it all the time, in every situation. Either way, all she could do now, was to repeat what she had seen him do. She had paid close attention, after all. Stretching out the index finger meaningfully, she aimed for the little space in the corner. Since no-one intervened, she touched it once to select... and twice to confirm. Like a taxi, the slide arrived to transport the rest of the drones away. Okay. Now what? Opening her hand, she eyed the glove again, trying to remember, what kind of move he had made at the end. Slowly and a little uncertainly, she brought her thumb and forefinger together. The very moment that they touched, the belt started moving with a buzzing sound and number five went on it's journey. Sal could feel her heart pump. Some sort of nervousness fell off her. Also that had felt strangely satisfying. With wide open eyes, she looked at Doctor Robotnik again, who's slightly slanting mustache gave away a faint smirk. As if he knew exactly how she felt right now. She couldn't keep it in.</p><p>»That was fun.«</p><p>Now he actually chuckled, before walking up to her, with an open hand.</p><p>»Well, well...«</p><p>As he stopped right in front of her, within a second his expression transitioned into plain seriousness.</p><p>»... fun is over. My glove.«</p><p>Visibly puzzled, she did as she was commanded and returned it back to him.</p><p>»... will you repair those damaged drones now?«</p><p>Sal didn't even know, why it all sparked her so much. That wasn't exactly her field of interest. Neither did she have any kind of knowledge or experiences in technology. Perhaps that was why? Or the fact, that down here she felt like being on another planet. Or a space ship. It was oddly exciting. Or was it even...?</p><p>»Not now. I have less pleasant business to deal with.« Robotnik answered tersely, while readjusting his glove. What did that mean? She died to know, but wouldn't dare to ask. In fact, she felt like she had already pushed the boundaries pretty far today.</p><p>».... and so do you.«</p><p>At that she raised her eyebrows.</p><p>»Take that report you printed and give it to General Barker in M405. He's one of those stuck-up, fossil geezers that don't read emails.«</p><p>As he swung around and marched away energetically, he muttered ›Rusty old dweeb.‹ to himself.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ten minutes later, Sal got out of the elevator on the third floor. With the report under her arm, she walked the aisle, the soles of her shoes squeaking on the PVC flooring. She didn't know what to expect, so she felt a little nervous. Finally, reaching M405, she found the door open. Uncertain what that meant, she stepped into the door frame and carefully peaked inside. There she saw a gray-haired man sitting at a desk, writing.</p><p>»... General... Barker...?«</p><p>»Yes. What is it?« He didn't look up, nor did he stop his writing.</p><p>»... I am here to... bring you a report from Doctor Robotnik... sir.«</p><p>Now he raised his head, looking a little surprised.</p><p>»Oh? I was expecting Agent Stone.«</p><p>»Well, he's... on vacation.«</p><p>Sal made a few steps forward, until she was close enough to hand him the papers. The General looked at the report, but didn't take it. Instead he leaned back and smirked a bit.</p><p>»So <em>you</em> replace him for the time?«</p><p>»Yes, sir.«</p><p>»Wow. Didn't think they would find anyone else willing to deal with Robotnik.«</p><p>»...«</p><p>What was she supposed to say to that? She didn't exactly sign up for it.</p><p>»... he can be a handful, huh?«</p><p>»...uhm...«</p><p>Now he laughed dryly.</p><p>»Yeah, I bet you already know that that's an understatement.«</p><p>Did he expect her to bad-mouth with him?</p><p>»I'd love to be the one firing that insolent crackpot.«</p><p>Sal didn't know what it was that the doctor had said to him in the past, but somehow she imagined it must have been hilarious. How would an actual meeting of those two go? No wonder Robotnik always sends someone else.</p><p>»Unfortunately... his work is brilliant.«</p><p>That said, he finally took the report. Faintly nodding, Sal turned around to leave. As she made it out, the last thing she heard was General Barker calling someone.</p><p>»... Smith. It's me, Barker. The lab rat has sent me the newest plans. Yeah, that jerk, haha.«</p><p>Then she was out of earshot. A weird feeling crawled through her body, as she stood in the elevator again. Exhaling, she pressed the U3-Button and waited. Just a second before the doors completely closed, a hand reached in to keep them open. Quickly, three men then jumped into the cabin and Sal stopped breathing. One of them was Pence, again. Another, called ›Waters‹, also belonged in her team. She didn't know the third guy, but he seemed to be good friends with them. As soon as her colleagues noticed her, they started grinning.</p><p>»Heeey...! Our girl Sal!« Pence proclaimed, walking up to her.</p><p>Waters followed and Sal backed away a bit. The elevator was tiny, so that she could only make one step before reaching the back wall.</p><p>»I see you didn't quit yet?«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Pence now stood uncomfortably close to her. He stared her in the eyes with a manic expression. Sal could feel his breath on her face, unable to flee anywhere. How she hated him. How she hated all of them. Waters pushed a button and the doors eventually closed. Then he came to join his friend.</p><p>»How's it going down there with Dr. Frankenstein?« He whispered, before blowing air into Sal's ear, making her flinch. How she wanted to answer something tough, but her mouth refused to even open. Instead she just looked down, trying to survive this situation.</p><p>»You two are impossible.« The third guy said while laughing at the same time. <em>Hypocrite</em>, she thought. Pence turned his head a little. Then he lifted his hand to flip his finger against her forehead.</p><p>»Are you deaf??«</p><p>Trembling inside, Sal endured the ordeal, trying to remain steady. <em>Why ain't I stronger than that?</em> How though? How should she fight back? She couldn't even think of a way. After what felt like forever, the lift finally reached the men's floor. Pence slowly separated himself from her and walked away backwards.</p><p>»Until next time, noob.«</p><p>Waters slapped Sal roughly on the shoulder, before following him out. Even after all of them were gone and the elevator set itself in motion again, she didn't move out of her corner. She didn't look up. She hardly breathed. In her ears, the blood was circulating loud as a waterfall. All the way through the hallway of the basement, she heard nothing else. Nor did she see the scientists, that had finally shown up to work in their spaces. Her eyes were fixated on the floor while she walked back to the lab. Back to her desk. Like automatic, she opened her laptop and turned it on. She hadn't logged into the system yet. In perfect routine, she typed in her credentials and hit the enter-key. The very second she did, a whole pile of email-previews popped up on the right side of her screen. Furrowing her brows in wonder, she opened her inbox, only to find 156 identical mails. They all had been sent by, of course, Pence. ›I asked you a question. Deaf cow.‹ Sal started to hit the Delete-Button, more and more forcefully. Boiling inside, she trashed every mail separately, while the noise in her ears became even louder. A lump formed in her throat as she stared into the screen without blinking.</p><p>›<em>I want another.‹</em></p><p>She slammed her keyboard in an unhealthy way.</p><p>›<em>Hey.‹</em></p><p>It even hurt the bones in her fingers.</p><p>›<em>Hello?‹</em></p><p>She didn't care.</p><p>›<em>Hey!‹</em></p><p>She didn't care at all.</p><p>»Are you deaf?!«</p><p>»NO I AM NOT!!«</p><p>She had swung around, shouting it out loud. Straight into Doctor Robotnik's face, who suddenly stood behind her. Eyes wide open, breathing way too quick, she now stared at him. He stared back, slightly startled. Sal swallowed, trying to catch herself. Trying to appear normal. But her eyes looked glassy and her lower lip was twitching nervously.</p><p>»S-sorry. What did you say?« she cleared her throat.</p><p>Robotnik's face changed in a way, that she could not interpret. He almost seemed to be scanning her. As if he smelled something.</p><p>»I said, I want another.«</p><p>At that, he put his empty glass on her table, waiting for a response. Sal looked at it quietly, but her stomach twisted unpleasantly, as she thought about going back up there. She blinked a few times before grabbing the glass.</p><p>»Okay.«</p><p>The doctor watched her get up and walk out of the lab again.</p><p>»...«</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Shiro</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 03</b>
</p><p>
  <strong>›Shiro‹</strong>
</p><p>Sal did not know what it was that made her feel the way she felt today. It wasn't like she hadn't been treated like that before. They had always been assholes. Maybe it was just a little too much at once this time. Maybe she had swallowed it down too often. She tensely prepared the second latte in the little kitchen, planning to vanish back into the basement as quickly as possible. Every person she heard passing by in the hallway, made her heart speed up. Finally done, she pulled a napkin out of the drawer, when she heard the sound of crumpling paper behind her. Her hand started to shake a little.</p><p>»You must be missing us. Since you're up here so often.«</p><p>The familiar voice got Sal short-winded.</p><p>»Or are you running from what's down there?«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Closing her eyes for a few seconds, trying to calm down, Sal then slowly turned around.</p><p>»Why don't you mind your own business?«</p><p>Pence stood in the door, blocking it completely.</p><p>»What was that?«</p><p>He tilted his head sideways and stretched his neck forward menacingly.</p><p>»Get out of the way.« Sal almost whispered.</p><p>Frowning even more, he then stepped towards her. One step. Two steps. Forcing her against the cupboards.</p><p>»... and what... if I don't...?«</p><p>Again, her ability to breathe malfunctioned. Every muscle in her body tensed as he slowly leaned in on her.</p><p>»... you little brat...«</p><p>Cooped up and out of options once more, she just closed her eyes, waiting for whatever he was about to do to her.</p><p>»You are going to... <em>GRAH...!!</em>«</p><p>Struck by the sudden yell, Sal's eyes flipped open. Pence' whole figure was cramping and twitching weirdly, eventually causing him to lose his stance. He tumbled to the ground, right before her feet. As he went down, he opened up the view on what was behind him. Silent, almost like a ghost, there was a drone hovering in midair, it's red glowing eye focusing on it's target. On Pence. Half-paralyzed, he was fumbling on his back until getting a hold on something.</p><p>»...G-GIAH...!!«</p><p>Sal was staring down, as he jerked some kind of projectile out of his shoulder blade. It was a small, square-shaped piece of metal with four little claw-like extensions. Has he gotten an electric shock from that thing? As she looked up, Sal noticed that two of the drone's arms were open. They did not contain any rockets though. Did this one have another arsenal? The tumbling Pence fought to get back on his feet.</p><p>»God... damn it!!«</p><p>As if he had heard him, his buddy Waters appeared in the door.</p><p>»Jeff...??«</p><p>Instantly, the drone swung around now facing the second guy.</p><p>»Woah!!« Waters backed away, hands up, but the machine followed.</p><p>»What the hell is going on?!«</p><p>Meanwhile Pence used his chance to sneak through the door, limping into the aisle. Quickly noticing that, the drone changed it's priority again, turning his direction. Sal stepped forward to peak into the hallway. She saw Pence looking over his shoulder, where a red laser beam was now aiming for his butt.</p><p>»Oh...!! N-no...!! No!!«</p><p>About to completely freak out, he tried to get away. A second later though, he was hit by what looked like a dart.</p><p>»HOH!!!«</p><p>He almost jumped from the pain, twitching and then falling again. Sal thought, that he looked like an anesthetized animal. Maybe a monkey.</p><p>»Jeff...!!«</p><p>The panicked Waters came running, grabbing his friend under the arms. Keeping an eye on the floating device, he then pulled Pence into the nearest room, a storage, and threw the door shut.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Silence followed, making the scene even stranger. Sal held her breath, as she realized that the drone was now focusing her. A shiver ran down her spine. Then however, it closed it's arms, looking almost like a perfect egg again. A few awkward seconds passed, before Sal turned her head around. Slowly, she finally grabbed the latte she had made.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Cautious and very carefully, she slipped through the door, past the drone. For a moment, she looked into it's glowing lens while walking. Then she turned away, moving on like everything was normal. Somehow that whole situation seemed surreal to her. Like a fever dream. On her way to the elevator, she had a weird feeling and then noticed, that the drone was following her. Like in slow-motion, she pressed the button, looking at the white, hovering machine. Had the doctor sent it after her? Who else should have done it. But why? All the way back to the lab, she was pondering. And all the way, the drone flew two meters behind her. When she finally came back, Doctor Robotnik was very busy tinkering on something on a long table in the middle of the room. He had a nipper in his hand, strenuously bowing some kind of wiring into shape. He didn't look up from his work, though he had obviously noticed Sal's return.</p><p>»Took you long enough.«</p><p>Hesitantly, she walked up to the table, placing the glass on it safely.</p><p>»... sorry.«</p><p>Robotnik's eyes followed her, as she returned to her desk. Breathing in and out a few times, she sat down and opened her laptop once more, to check for <em>actual</em> emails. She only made a few clicks, stopping, when she noticed something in the corner of her eye.</p><p>»...«</p><p>It was still there.</p><p>»... uh...«</p><p>Confused, she turned around to where the doctor was fumbling with his project.</p><p>»... Doctor...?«</p><p>»... hm?«</p><p>»Your... drone is... following me........ still.«</p><p>»Positive.«</p><p>Sal raised a brow, staring at his back until he turned around, looking like someone that has to explain to a child.</p><p>»Look, I don't know what was holding you up, but if I had to guess, I'd say it involved a certain amount of imbecile retards.«</p><p>»...« Sal swallowed, looking down as if being caught.</p><p>»Since I don't have time for immature bullshit like that and I like my lattes to get to me quick and hot...«</p><p>At that, he pointed to the drone that was now smoothly landing on Sal's table.</p><p>»... as long as you work for me... this badnik... is working for you.«</p><p>In an instant, she looked up, eyes wide open.</p><p>»You mean... just... for me? Really??«</p><p>An excited sparkle appeared in her eyes which seemed to irritate the doctor. He frowned a bit, clearing his throat, as if to explain himself.</p><p>»It's job is, to make sure you do your job efficiently!«</p><p>Sal had already turned around, patting the drone like some kind of dog.</p><p>»So cool...!«</p><p>Robotnik made an almost disgusted face at that. Like she forgot something, the young woman then swung back around, slapping her hands together and bowing a bit, before looking at him with big eyes.</p><p>»Thank you so much!!«</p><p>Visibly baffled, Robotnik seemed to be searching for a tough response. Luckily for him, Sal quickly turned back around to sit down on her chair, admiring her new friend.</p><p>»Hm... what shall I call you...?«</p><p>Robotnik just stood there, in obvious disbelief.</p><p>»Oh! How about... Shiro!«</p><p>»Shiro?«</p><p>»Yeah, because it is white.« Sal looked at the doctor, happily.</p><p>»I know what that means. It's just......... ah forget it.«</p><p>He waved his hand, and turned back to his work. Sal's whole mood had changed at once. She felt like she had gotten the best Christmas present of her life or something. The drone was taking up half of her desk now, but she didn't care. Pushing her laptop a little further to the right, she got back to her mails.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When Sal made her way through the empty hallways the next morning, Shiro was hovering closely behind her. It had actually followed her home when she left the lab in the evening. The doctor hadn't said a word or even looked, so she took it as it was. The fact that it was there, actually made her feel so much safer. In here. On the street. Everywhere. The doctor had no idea what favor he had done her with that. Or did he? Not as early as yesterday, she reached the lab. This time, there was no music or light show. In fact, it was very quiet. As soon as she stepped in, Shiro flew past her, to land on her desk again with a dull sound.</p><p>»SAL?!«</p><p>She flinched, from the sudden shout from around the corner.</p><p>»Y-yes...!«</p><p>Nervously, she rushed into the other room. How did he even notice her now? The room was empty. Quickly making it through the next door, she finally found Robotnik. In the rather small room, he stood at a high table, with his hands inside a drone. The walls were covered with hundreds of tools, cables and other things, Sal couldn't name.</p><p>»You are late!!«</p><p>He barked, grimacing, as he looked up at her. Really? She had actually been trying to avoid disturbing his dance show again.</p><p>»And where's my latte?!«</p><p><em>Damn it.</em> She had been so deep in her thoughts that she had not stopped by the kitchen.</p><p>»I... I will get you one...«</p><p>»Not now! Get over here!«</p><p>Slightly intimidated, Sal walked around the table until she stood next to him. With a questioning face, she squinted up. The insides of the drone made unpleasant sounds as he kept on fumbling with something in there.</p><p>»I need.... a... third hand...«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Looking from him to the machine and then back up to him, she obviously didn't understand.</p><p>»You heard me, get your hand in there!!«</p><p>The two stared at each other for a weird moment. The doctor glared and Sal looked just blank. She swallowed, before hesitantly reaching out and slowly sticking her hand into the open drone. Without any idea what to even do or look for, actually afraid of messing something up. With three arms in there, neither her or him could possibly see anything.</p><p>»Okay, can you find the board I am holding in place?«</p><p>»...ehm...«</p><p>Sal moved, blindly trying to navigate. Somewhere on the right, she touched his wrist.</p><p>»The other hand.«</p><p>»O-oh... okay...«</p><p>Finally finding his right hand, she carefully slid down, along his fingers, while giving him an asking look. His eyes moved her way just for a split second. Almost shyly.</p><p>»Good, hold that down.«</p><p>Sal pressed onto the metal, while Robotnik went on with whatever he was doing.</p><p>»Is that a drone from yesterday?«</p><p>»... one of them... yes.«</p><p>Highly concentrated, he turned his head to look at a display, while adjusting something close to Sal's fingers.</p><p>»I decided... to give it a little... upgrade.«</p><p>»Something new?«</p><p>»It'll be a prototype, yes.«</p><p>»Oohh...«</p><p>Sal was unable to tell what he was doing and being that close to him made her weirdly uneasy. She could hear him breathe through his nose in a slightly stressed way, making her hope he wasn't getting angry. If only she had not forgotten the coffee. Maybe that would have helped.</p><p>»Is that.... number three?«</p><p>The silence was just too awkward. With a raised eyebrow, looking kind of surprised, the doctor turned his head to her.</p><p>»... it is.«</p><p>They looked at each other for a few seconds, until Sal realized he was waiting for some kind of explanation.</p><p>»I, uhm... I noticed that... scratch... at the side...«</p><p>»...huh.«</p><p>He nodded a little, still staring at her.</p><p>»I'm excited to see what that upgrade is. Your drones.... are really... impressive to me... I mean...«</p><p>Sal cleared her throat, trying to find some words.</p><p>»They are... actually... so cool. I mean I... really <em>love</em> Shiro!«</p><p>Noticing how stupid that all sounded, she blinked nervously. The doctor however, seemed to be searching her face, only interrupted when something appeared in the door frame.</p><p>»Good morning!!«</p><p>Instantly Sal and Robotnik turned their heads to the door, where a young man in a lab coat was waving his hand. When he saw the two, his eyes widened.</p><p>»Oh.«</p><p>»Urk... what do you want...??« The doctor grumbled, rolling his eyes.</p><p>The dark-blonde guy ignored the question, fixating on Sal instead. He slowly made his way around the table, finally placing his elbow onto it.</p><p>»Hi. I'm Doctor McCoy. « He said in a low voice.</p><p>Unable to give him her hand, she just nodded.</p><p>»Sal. Hi...«</p><p>Again, she heard Robotnik's disgruntled respiration.</p><p>»I asked you a question, Dr. Dipshit!!«</p><p>Jumping a bit, McCoy reached into his inside pocket, pulling out a folder.</p><p>»I got the results of the endurance test you ordered.«</p><p>He waved it in the air, smiling.</p><p>»Fine, leave it on the table and get lost!«</p><p>Sal watched him do as he was told, wondering if there was anyone out there that Dr. Robotnik didn't loathe.</p><p>»So... <em>Sal</em>... I guess you are Agent Stone's substitute.«</p><p>Dr. McCoy squinted at her, while putting down his folder.</p><p>»It was a pleasure to meet you. If you ever feel like... chatting...«</p><p>At that, he leaned towards her, winking meaningfully.</p><p>»L705.«</p><p>»...« Sal just stared back.</p><p>Straightening his coat, he gave her a final smile.</p><p>»Shove off!!!«</p><p>At that, something inside the drone snapped, painfully pinching Sal's finger.</p><p>»Ouch!!«</p><p>In a reflex she pulled her hand back out, looking at her index finger. A tiny cut was just starting to bleed.</p><p>»...«</p><p>»...«</p><p>McCoy stood there like frozen, while Robotnik's eyes moved from Sal's finger to the young man. His chin trembled with growing anger while his own hands slowly left the insides of the machine.</p><p>»That's it.«</p><p>Robotnik almost leaped at McCoy, grabbing him by the back of his neck, before he could even try to react.</p><p>»Woah! Hey...!!«</p><p>Sal watched, like it was a movie scene, as the doctor forcefully pushed the other doctor ahead of him and out of the room. Once they were out of sight, all she heard was McCoy's stumbling feet, his unpleasant groaning and Robotnik growling some harsh accusations while escorting him out of the lab. It almost sounded to Sal, as if he had actually thrown him into the hallway. That was only what she imagined though. <em>Great</em>, she thought. Now he was angry. From the start he had been sassy and relentless. But she had not yet witnessed him actually mad. Since his normal mode already was a challenge to deal with, the idea of him in bad temper somewhat frightened her. When his steps could be heard coming closer again, Sal swallowed. As he entered the room, he still mumbled into his beard while energetically stomping around the table. She flinched a bit, when Robotnik purposefully approached to grab her by the wrist and pull her out of the room with him. Sal followed confused and silently, until they stopped at the very end of the narrow passage between the laboratories. Her arm felt limp as a doll's as he moved her hand under the faucet of the rectangular metal-sink in front of them. The following ice cold water was quickly washing away the bit of blood.</p><p>»...«</p><p>While that happened, Robotnik hat already opened a small box at his eye level with his other hand. Without wasting any time he then moved on to patching her up with a band aid. Sal watched quietly, as he worked on her finger like he did on his machinery. He had the exact same expression. Extremely concentrated and slightly manic. So this was how it felt being the drone? It was a weird thought, but Sal was actually surprised about how gentle his touch was. He did it slowly and very carefully. It almost felt good. Thinking that, Sal felt her cheeks heat up.</p><p>»I'm... I'm really sorry I... let go earlier.«</p><p>Robotnik turned his head, raising an eye brow. Then he looked back at her index finger and mumbled lowly.</p><p>»... all McCoy's fault...«</p><p>»...«</p><p>When he finally finished his operation, he let go of her hand and Sal looked at the ridiculously neat band aid. After all, she could have helped herself with only an information about where to find this box. And it didn't seem like him to even care, but standing there, he looked like he was waiting for something. Technically he had caused the injury, with or without Dr. McCoy's help. Could he actually feel a little guilty? Did he just try to make up for it? In his own weird, low-key way? It was hard to imagine. But doing a thing like that was probably far easier for him, than saying something like ›sorry‹. Sal gave him a soft smile.</p><p>»Thank you. You didn't have to.«</p><p>»Infections can kill you.«</p><p>Providing that important knowledge with a meaningful face, he then set off to get back to work.</p><p>»Since I made sure you won't lose the finger... let's get this over with, shall we?«</p><p>A little baffled, Sal then nodded and rushed after him.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It had taken hours to finish the drone's upgrade and Sal's finger wasn't actually needed that often. She had stayed at the doctor's side none the less, watching him work, asking an unqualified question every now and then. Surprisingly for her, he had not sent her away. Maybe because he had been so deeply focused. Or did he actually enjoy her fascinated interest in his creations? He had a fairly large ego after all. Even though he had pointed out how his perfect drones don't need any praise, Sal had a feeling that he actually did. Even if he'd never admit. As she was laying on her bed at home, she was musing about him. As tired as she was, the thoughts wouldn't let her rest for some reason. Stretching out her left arm, she grabbed for something on her bedside table. Unbeknownst, she had taken Agent Stone's notebook with her when she left the lab earlier. Of course she wouldn't keep it. Only borrow it for some time. Sal looked at the worn binding for a moment, wondering what things it had seen so far. Then she put her finger between the pages to open a random one, finding a side note and just began reading out loud.</p><p>»In case of a critical blackout: how to activate the emergency generator.«</p><p>Sal frowned, wondering if this was written here because Robotnik had told Stone about it, or because that actually happened before. <em>Boring</em>, she thought, turning a few pages.</p><p>»Always make sure the labels in the truck's fuse box are intact. Bottom one = Self destruct!«</p><p>Self destruct?! Seriously? And which ›truck‹? A little perplexed, she went on.</p><p>»Don't stand in the doctor's way.«</p><p>Well... considering how energetically he walks, that could be suicide mission indeed.</p><p>»If his mustache looks asymmetrical, don't say anything.«</p><p>Raising a brow, Sal imagined how doing so must have put Stone in a precarious situation. It even made her chuckle a bit. She was also wondering what that guy was doing now. Did he actually use the time to recover from all this stress or was he going crazy, thinking the doctor could go on a rampage by now? After all he must expect one of Wesley's men to be doing his job right now. The poor guy. She should really try her best for his sake. As she let her thumb glide over the slightly yellowish paper in search for something else, she noticed that there was something off. One of the pages stood out because the lower corner was folded in. Opening it up, she found all the space on this page filled. It was clearly Agent Stone's handwriting, but every row looked a little different. As if it had been written with different pens, in different situations, with different amounts of time at hand. The top line simply read ›Dr. Robotnik‹. Below that was what looked like a list of short facts. As if he had written down everything that he had picked up randomly. Someone really did his homework. Now that was interesting. Again, Sal started to read, this time though, almost whispering for some reason.</p><p>»5 PhDs.«</p><p>Five... that was impressive. Yet not really surprising to her. It was not hard to see that he was without a doubt a genius.</p><p>»Has a thing for music.«</p><p>Yeah she had witnessed that. For a second she considered adding ›and dancing‹ to the note. But there really wasn't any free space for that anyway. Plus, her eyes had moved on already.</p><p>»First name is Ivo«</p><p>Sal tilted her head a notch.</p><p>»Ivo.«</p><p>How odd. Did that fit him? Did that actually sound... cute to her?</p><p>»Ivo...«</p><p>Still mumbling his name, she read on.</p><p>»Orphan.«</p><p>Not far from that a crooked blue note said ›bullied?‹</p><p>Sal's stomach twisted in a weird way. The feeling she had in that elevator reappeared. Then her head turned to a little stool in the corner of the bedroom, where Shiro was resting in stand-by mode.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Could he know? Had he seen her through? A part of her doubted that. But what if so? Was that the reason why the drone had appeared and chased away Pence and Waters? Was he really capable of feeling into her like that? And would he even care? He clearly hated those guys and had given an explanation to Shiro's purpose. But...</p><p>Before she could finish her thought, the sound of her ringing cellphone made her flinch. Completely confused, she threw Stone's the notebook to the side and rolled over to the bedside table. The display just said ›private number‹. Hesitantly and unsure, she picked up.</p><p>»... hello?«</p><p>»Sal. We got a mission.«</p><p>His voice gave the doctor away.</p><p>»A... a mission...? Wait, what...?«</p><p>»Pack some things. We'll pick you up in half an hour.«</p><p>Sal was just breathing in to ask about a hundred questions, when Robotnik hung up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Tension</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thirty minutes later Sal stood on the stairs of the building she lived in, a large backpack on her shoulders. Not a clue what ›some things‹ meant in Robotnik's world, she had packed what she needed for a few days. Yawning into the quiet darkness of the suburban neighborhood, she wished she had slept a little. Instead of reading. Instead of polishing Shiro earlier. Sal turned her head to look at the drone to her left. Well, it <em>did</em> look neat now. Her eyes moved again, when a deep, vibrating sound echoed through the street in an unsettling way. Before she could decide whether to run or not, a massive vehicle approached from the right. Blinded by the headlights, Sal had to wait until it had stopped right in front of her, before she could tell what it was. A giant, black, eighteen-wheeled truck, was taking up the length of at least five parking spaces. Not that it had parked. It just stood there in the middle of the road. Instead of a windshield it had what looked like a black shutter and a familiar looking, red-glowing circle above that. Before she could even let her eyes wander over the whole monstrosity, something on the side opened, letting down some kind of ramp. In the blink of an eye, actual stairs flipped up from it, while a tall figure appeared in front of the blueish light from inside the truck.</p><p>»What are you waiting for?? Get in!«</p><p>Sal had to give herself an inner push to even make her move. Unsure and completely baffled, she climbed up the stairs, feeling like entering a space ship. The inside didn't exactly change that impression. Maybe it was her sleep deprivation or the weird lighting, but once again she was mesmerized. The whole interior strongly resembled L708. As if someone had taken a part of it and built a truck around it.</p><p>»...what... is that here...?«</p><p>Sal's head slowly moved all the way from the right, the far end, to the left, where Doctor Robotnik stood, slightly smirking. He made a wide gesture with his arms, while taking a seat in front of three large holographic displays.</p><p>»This is my mobile lab.«</p><p>»...mobile... lab...« She repeated, still looking around, while the door behind her closed itself again.</p><p>There was just too much to see. Everything surrounding the doctor really looked like a laboratory. Completely with tools and devices. On the other end Sal spotted a bunch of drones sitting in racks, as well as some other machines. <em>Self destruct,</em> she thought, wondering about that ominous fuse box. As the vehicle hearably set itself in motion, she turned back around.</p><p>»So... where are we going anyways?«</p><p>The doctor moved his hand over a tablet in his table to make some inputs. On the large display in the middle, a map with a route appeared.</p><p>»The military has a little mission to fulfill, giving us the opportunity to test some equipment.«</p><p>Sal stepped a little closer to look at the hologram. It looked as if their destination was somewhere in the middle of the forest. Robotnik went on, swiping some pictures in.</p><p>»There's a government laboratory in the mountains about 150 miles northeast from here. Some douchebags are researching on long-range radio waves there. That's... all you need to know about that.«</p><p>He cleared his throat while Sal gave him a suspicious look.</p><p>»Anyways... looks like they built something promising and one of said douchebags took the chance to steal and run off with it.«</p><p>»Just like that?«</p><p>»Not everyone is capable of creating a perfectly flawless security system, like I do.«</p><p>Again she raised a brow. Of course.</p><p>»Our job is to find that guy.«</p><p>The doctor pointed his finger to the blurry photo of a red-haired man in a lab coat.</p><p>»He fled on foot in very rough terrain. It would take him days to reach civilization, so he has to be taking breaks, hiding somewhere.«</p><p>»And... how are we going to do that?«</p><p>A complacent little smile appeared on the doctor's face as his eyes moved to the right. Sal turned her head, following his gaze. A few meters behind her, a drone was fixated on a work desk. It seemed like any other drone, but as Sal slowly walked towards it, she noticed a small, red triangle over the lens.</p><p>»Version 4.0.8. New board, highly improved optical scan unit, better transmission system.«</p><p>She had no idea what he was talking about, but she noticed something else. Her finger touched the side of the machine, slowly sliding over a long scratch in the surface.</p><p>»...«</p><p>»I... didn't get to change the shell. The call came in before I could get to that.«</p><p>»Number three...«</p><p>This was the one her hand had stuck in. Maybe there was a drop of her dried blood inside this thing even. A weird thought.</p><p>»What... you don't have some stupid name for it yet...?«</p><p>Sal turned around to find Robotnik still sitting in his chair while smirking with a risen left eyebrow. Somewhere below her stomach a boiling sensation started to form. It crawled up her esophagus and throat and forced it's way out.</p><p>»Stupid name...? Well... how about.... ›Ivo‹?«</p><p>Within a second his facial features slumped down into a dangerously dark frown.</p><p>»... what...?«</p><p>He stared her down in a way that would make her regret her statement if she wasn't so bugged herself. Even the concerning way he was slowly grinding his teeth, didn't make her back away. Though her heart was racing and she was indeed frightened, Sal just widened her eyes, as if she didn't say anything out of the ordinary. As if that name had no meaning. She was, of course, well aware that she had a problem now. A big one. As she swung back around to walk into the back of the truck, she was sure that he was already calculating all possible ways that she could have gotten to know his name. It was rather unlikely that he knew about Stone's special page. In a way it was almost entertaining to leave him in this unknowing state. Almost. Sal avoided looking his way again. She just laid down in a corner, using her backpack as a pillow and closed her eyes.</p><p>»I have to get a little sleep, so... if you'll excuse me...«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Even though she didn't get an answer, she could still feel him stare. There was some kind of heat in the air. Pretending to sleep would probably be the best option, she thought.</p><hr/><p>Sal was yawning and stretching her arms as she stepped out of the truck about two hours later. The sound of coarse gravel under her shoes, slowly brought her back to live. Slightly disoriented, she looked around her. They had parked at some kind of rest stop. There were three sparsely lit, wooden buildings to be seen. A small gas station, a diner and a motel. All around that, nothing but spruce. A big wooden sign next to the parking site said ›Welcome to Cold Springs‹.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Blinking in wonder, she turned around, only to find more forest on the other side of the road. This looked, like a lot of horror films began. Sal almost jumped as Doctor Robotnik rushed past her impatiently. With a suitcase in hand, he stomped towards the motel. As Sal followed him, with five meters of safety distance, she noticed a black SUV standing in front of the house. She knew that this was a government vehicle. Being distracted by it for a moment, she almost stumbled onto the porch. Clearing her throat and straightening herself, she followed the doctor into room 004.</p><p>»Good evening Doctor Robotnik.«</p><p>A rather short guy in a black suit nodded his head to him while keeping his hands behind his back.</p><p>»I hope you arrived here well and-«</p><p>»Spare me the crap. What have you got?!«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Sal could see the man's lower eye lid twitch before he inhaled to form an answer.</p><p>»Not very much unfortunately. The dogs did a large-scale search in the area, but the forest is extremely dense. Even with thermal images it is hard to detect anything. A lot of wild life too.«</p><p>Robotnik had already turned away from him, putting his suitcase on the table. In the corner of the small motel room, Sal spotted two German shepherds, resting next to the bed. Another agent that sat on a chair had noticed her gaze.</p><p>»They are good boys.«</p><p>He pointed to them, smiling. Hesitantly, Sal sneaked around the doctor, who was fumbling with a laptop, and approached one of the animals.</p><p>»This is Hector. The sleeping one is Angus.«</p><p>With a wagging tail, the big dog let the young woman pat it's head.</p><p>»... I guess this is a job for your technology.«</p><p>»Obviously.« the doctor hissed with an arrogant flavor.</p><p>He was looking at his screen and typing in high speed.</p><p>»Watch and learn, Agent Lawrence.«</p><p>That said, he grabbed the curtain and jerked it aside. Sal stretched her head to look up. The giant truck could be seen, releasing a bunch of drones into the air. The last one took flight with a little delay. She was pretty certain, that this was the upgraded model. The two agents watched in awe as the machines split up and disappeared into the dark.</p><p>»...«</p><p>»...«</p><p>»Now get the hell out!! What are you waiting for?!«</p><p>Almost in a terrified manner Agent Lawrence fled, followed by his colleague and the dogs.</p><p>Sal looked after them, sadly waving Hector goodbye. Then Robotnik's disgruntled gaze hit her like an electric shock.</p><p>»And you, make yourself useful!!«</p><p>Sal winced, almost losing her balance.</p><p>»U-uh... and... how?«</p><p>She got another look from him. One that seemed to indicate, she had asked the dumbest question of all time.</p><p>»...«</p><p>»...I... uh...«</p><p>»Get me a coffee!!«</p><p>»O-Okay...!!«</p><p>Similar to the guys, Sal rushed outside while the doctor turned back to his work, muttering. She forced a lump down her throat, as she made her way to the diner that was just about fifty meters away from the motel. <em>This is not going well</em>, she thought, climbing the stairs and entering the little restaurant. The moment she opened the door, a pleasant, sweet smell filled her nostrils. Somewhere distant, a sizzling pan could be heard between the quiet country music. She let her eyes wander through the cozy, warm room, but the only other customer was en elder man, stirring his cup in the far right corner.</p><p>»Welcome! What can I get you?«</p><p>A young woman with curly blond hair had appeared behind the counter, happily smiling at Sal. Still damaged by Doctor Robotnik's outburst, it took her a second to collect herself.</p><p>»Uh... uhm... a... a coffee, please. To go.«</p><p>»Milk, sugar?«</p><p>»...sugar. Uh... one cube.«</p><p>A nasty little part of her had considered messing it up somehow, but she knew that would make her situation critical to a dangerous degree. She already started to regret her taunt from earlier. Even if he had deserved it.</p><p>»Oh, and... give me an ice tea as well.«</p><p>The girl turned around to fulfill the order.</p><p>»... are you staying in the motel?«</p><p>»...uh... yeah.«</p><p>Well, kind of.</p><p>As she turned back around to set the two cups onto the counter, she looked up, smiling.</p><p>»Taking a rest here, with your boyfriend?«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Sal's jaw dropped open as her brain was trying to decide between denying, blushing or laughing out loud. She definitely wanted to say ›no‹, but quickly realized, that she would have to give another explanation then. And she was pretty sure that she was not allowed to tell the truth.</p><p>»... uh... something... like that. Yeah.«</p><p>»Ah... enjoy your stay. It's very quiet up here. It can actually be very romantic in a full moon night like this.«</p><p>»... huh.«</p><p>Sal just stared at her. Again the urge to laugh mixed into a very artificial expression.</p><p> </p><p>A few minutes later, Sal stepped into the gloomy motel room 004 again. As usual, she was completely ignored until she handed the doctor his coffee. Without looking at the young woman, he roughly snatched it from her.</p><p>»Finally...!«</p><p>While he was grumbling on unintelligibly, Sal went over to the bed to sit down for a moment. Still very tired, she stretched her arms and bent her head back, thinking about this day. Unable to see what Robotnik was doing on his laptop, she felt rather useless. Asking for a task didn't seem like a smart move either. No matter what she said, he would surely counter-attack in one way or another. Sal was wondering how things would be now, if she hadn't taunted him. Before that, he had actually been in a decent mood. At least for his standards. And the day they had been working on the prototype had felt like a somewhat positive experience. Like she had earned just few little plus points. Well, these went down the drain tonight. It actually made her kind of sad. As she listened to the clacking sounds of his keyboard, she dared to observe him for a moment. The way his eyes rapidly flashed from one point to another, while his fingers moved in unbelievable speed. In split seconds, windows popped up and vanished again, almost impossible for anyone to process. Anyone but him. He seemed like a well working machine himself. Almost. Sal held her breath when he briefly stopped typing to tilt his head, causing his neck to click unpleasantly. Just two seconds of silence before he bent forward again to proceed.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Another moment passed, in which Sal was calculating the chance of getting brutally murdered in this very fitting ambiance, if she made an attempt to fix the situation. Very slowly, as if not to make a sudden noise, she stood up from the bed. He could not possibly get any angrier, could he? Nonsense. Of course he could. Right now he was a hot pot, ready to boil over. Before having to witness that, Sal would rather turn off the stove. If that was even possible at this point. With small steps on the dirty, carpeted floor, she approached him. She looked up, trying to distract herself with the ugly pattern on the ceiling, pretending she was somewhere else, while her hands slipped onto his shoulders. Even with her eyes up, she saw the doctor forming a frown by his reflection in the window. He inhaled, but Sal's fingers had dug into his muscle before he could spit out the sassy comment he was preparing. Instead, he let out a weird little sound, that reminded of a dog choking on a treat. She could tell where that came from. Tense was not enough of a word to describe what was under her hands right now. Like kneading a hard frozen lump of dough, she began to carefully massage, wondering if he had ever gotten that done before. Something told her no. His mouth still half open, eyes staring forward, he kept on typing as if trying to ignore the treatment. His pace however, had dropped dramatically. Compared to ten seconds ago, he now looked like a drunk, trying to write a complicated word. The mere fact that he was being touched, seemed to make him stiffen even more. He didn't get it. So Sal pushed her thumbs down left and right of his spine.</p><p>»Grmph...!«</p><p>With a twitch, his fingers stopped moving as if she had found his off-switch.</p><p>»...«</p><p>As she went on, he was trying to reactivate them, but it hardly worked. Only single letters made it onto the screen, as each of her pushes interrupted his breathing mechanic and forced him to blink. A weird kind of satisfaction came over Sal. Had she just shut him up without a word? Without a fight, even?</p><p>»...gh....the......hrrrn....«</p><p>It was obvious that he was pressured to say something. He always had to. It didn't work. His ›agent‹ worked all the way to the outsides of his shoulders and back in. Slowly, firmly and highly concentrated. After what felt like forever, it finally achieved some effect. He felt more like a well done steak now. She could make that better. At least medium rare. Lost in her thoughts and weirdly motivated, her right hand slid onto the back his neck. Sending her fingers north. Over those short hairs that feel like a rug. Like hypnotized. Almost at his ear.</p><p>Like stung by a wasp, Robotnik swung around. Sal jumped in shock and the sudden realization of who she had just almost caressed.</p><p>»...«</p><p>»...«</p><p>He stared at her with an unreadable expression. Appalled almost, but also confused. Frozen with her hands up in the air like a caught burglar, she stared back. The doctor was breathing strangely for a guy that had been sitting for half an hour. Sal swallowed a lump.</p><p>»...I... uhm... just...«</p><p>With an unexpectedly quick move, Robotnik got up and almost lunged forward. Once more he was towering over the thunderstruck girl. Pierced by his demonic glare, she felt like shrinking even more. That was it. Sal was expecting death. As he got uncomfortably close to her again, she closed her eyes in defense. Just when she was certain something was about to happen, an alarming beep came out of the doctor's laptop, making him turn his head. Sal blinked. As the sound repeated, Robotnik rushed back to his seat.</p><p>»...what the...!«</p><p>»...«</p><p>Hesitatingly, Sal squinted over his shoulder. She could see a map with several yellow triangles, indicating some kind of problem. At least that's what it looked like.</p><p>»... that is... impossible...!«</p><p>»... what's wrong...?«</p><p>Now he nervously typed some kind of code, while more icons appeared.</p><p>»The drones are off the radar.«</p><p>»... what?? Wait... all of them?«</p><p>As he looked up for a second, it beeped one last time.</p><p>»... yes, all of them.«</p><p>The doctor growled lowly, while cracking his finger-bones.</p><p>»...«</p><p>Something about that scared Sal. What did that mean? The triangles were scattered all over the map. It didn't seem to make any sense.</p><p>»So they disappeared in different locations, at the same time...?«</p><p>»They are there still. Something shut them down.«</p><p>»What could do that?«</p><p>Robotnik was scratching his chin while visibly thinking.</p><p>»That can only be caused by some kind of electromagnetic interference.«</p><p>He made an annoyed hissing sound, closed the laptop and got up again, to stomp out of the room. Sal quickly followed him outside.</p><p>»W-wait! What does that mean?? What are we going to do now??«</p><p>»We, <em>of course,</em> are going to find my badniks!«</p><p>»Whoa, wait, we are actually going there?!«</p><p>In a flash, he swung around, to give her a burning look.</p><p>»Someone, most likely that joke of a scientist, has possibly damaged my precious machines! So <em>yes</em>, we are going there!!«</p><p>»In... person...?«</p><p>That sounded awfully creepy. They were talking about somewhere in the forest. The one that was dense and had a lot of wildlife, like Agent Lawrence had said.</p><p>»... you don't seem to get the picture here. We have <em>no</em> drones left!!«</p><p>»...«</p><p>»And as long as this presumptive transient signal is around, they cannot reactivate themselves.«</p><p>That said, he was about to march on, when Sal snapped her fingers.</p><p>»Hold on...! You are wrong!«</p><p>With a frown, he turned back to her.</p><p>»... excuse me?«</p><p>»We still have a drone!«</p><p>»...«</p><p>»We have Shiro!«</p><p>»...«</p><p>In a mechanical fashion, the upper half of his body rotated towards the truck. Three seconds passed, before it came back. Squinting his eyes, grinning like a true villain, he whispered.</p><p>»... we have Shiro.«</p>
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